Photo by Punya
On April 25, 2015, a massive earthquake hit Nepal, creating destruction to buildings around Nepal. This killed thousands of people nationwide.
Per Fox News, “Nearly everything was lost on April 25, 2015, when a terrifying earthquake shook the Himalayan nation, killing more than 9,000 people and toppling nearly a million homes nationwide.”
Most men do not work in Nepal. They usually go to the Middle East to make money to make money. This left the women to help in the rebuilding efforts.
BBC explains, “Women have traditionally been limited to household chores but with many men working abroad, Nepal faces a lack of manpower at a crucial time.”
There is a problem though. While Nepal lacks the manpower to rebuild, the government is reacting slowly to the crisis in Nepal.
Al Jazeera reports, “Two years after a series of earthquakes devastated Nepal, barely 5 percent of the destroyed houses have been rebuilt, according to the National Reconstruction Authority. That 800,000 families still do not have their houses rebuilt is simply a disaster.”
The Nepalese government hasn’t even been to all the districts to survey the damage. They still have 17 districts to survey.
Fox News states, “That’s allowed Nepal to rebuild just 3.5 percent of 626,694 homes so far counted as having been destroyed in the quake. And even that count is incomplete, including only homes in the 14 worst-hit districts. There are still another 17 districts to survey.” One problem the government has faced with the lack of manpower, is that the people they do have, are not experts. They don’t know how to make houses earthquake resistant.
BBC reports, “However, officials say that as well as the manpower shortage, many existing construction workers do not know how to build houses to earthquake-resistant specifications.”
In addition to the lack of manpower, supplies haven’t been given to those who are need such as waters. Others have had to travel to sign up for compensation.
Al Jazeera explains, “Further, problems on the ground have been ignored. Shortages of water and other raw materials mean that even families that receive payouts are unable to begin building. Some families have had to travel for several days to reach local government offices to sign up for the compensation they have been promised.”
Catholic Relief Services has been helping the government to rebuild and sharing Christ’s hope with the people of Nepal.
Per Catholic Relief Services states, “From 2016 to 2019, CRS will work with the Government of Nepal, local partners and communities to assist earthquake-affected families in Gorkha and neighboring districts to achieve a safe and dignified life while increasing their ability to mitigate the impact of future disasters.”
Pray the people of Nepal would be able to see a significant change in the rebuilding process and that Catholic Relief Services would be able to see Christ’s hope.
Fox News: Nepal makes scant progress in rebuilding 2 years after quake
BBC: How Nepal quake turned women into builders
Al Jazeera: Nepal’s earthquake disaster: Two years and $4.1bn later
Catholic Relief Services: CRS in Nepal
Gospel for Asia: One Year Later: Bringing Hope & Relief to Nepal Earthquake Victims
